Commencement
February 6, 2018
The University of Portland has announced the guest speakers and the honorees to be recognized during the 2018 Commencement ceremonies, which will be held on the UP campus in the Chiles Center on Sunday, May 6. Commencement I begins at 10 a.m. and is for all graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Education. Commencement II starts at 3 p.m. and is held for undergraduate and graduate students of the Pamplin School of Business, the Shiley School of Engineering, and the School of Nursing.
10:00 a.m. Ceremony – Commencement I
Christus Magister Medal
Fr. Stephen V. Sundborg, S.J., recipient of the 2018 Christus Magister award, is the president of Seattle University, an independent Jesuit institution of more than 7,500 undergraduate and graduate students and 1,000 faculty and staff members. During his 20-year tenure, enrollment has surged, the endowment has grown significantly, and the University has built a new law school, a student center, and student residences. Plans are currently underway for a new Center for Science and Innovation. Often called the Seattle University’s “moral compass,” Fr. Sundborg is strongly committed to promoting social justice, a core value of the Jesuit Catholic education, and has led the school in addressing issues such as homelessness and the needs of underserved populations in the Seattle area.
Honorary Doctorate Recipients
Jessica E. Jackley is an entrepreneur focused on financial inclusion, the sharing economy, and social justice. She is best known as a cofounder of Kiva, the world's first person-to-person (p2p) micro-lending website, letting users lend as little as $25 to individual entrepreneurs, providing them affordable capital to start or expand a small business. Since its founding in October 2005 Kiva has facilitated over $1B in loans worldwide. Jessica Jackley will be the speaker at the 10:00 a.m. Commencement ceremony.
Stephen M. Barr is a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Delaware. His research is in theoretical particle physics, with emphasis primarily on “grand unified theories” and the cosmology of the early universe. He also writes and lectures extensively on the relation of science and religion. In 2007, he was awarded the Benemerenti Medal by Pope Benedict XVI and was elected a member of the Academy of Catholic Theology.
Matthew W. Chapman ’71 served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Northwest Evaluation Association until his retirement in October 2017. Chapman has combined business careers with a volunteer career focused on education. He co-founded New Avenues for Youth, a program for street youth in Portland that includes an award-winning alternative school, housing, health services, job training, and a drop-in center. As a regent for the University of Portland, he also serves as a mentor for students in the entrepreneurship program.
3:00 p.m. Ceremony – Commencement II
Honorary Doctorate Recipients
Hannah L. Storm, an award-winning journalist, producer, and director, is a pioneer in the field of sports broadcasting for women, a published author, and an advocate for children suffering from debilitating vascular birthmarks. The Hannah Storm Foundation, which she founded in 2008, has provided funding for critical surgeries to children from the United States, China, and the Republic of Georgia and Slovenia. The Foundation also funds the Hannah Storm Journalism Internship at Notre Dame, Storm’s alma mater, empowering the next generation to pursue their dreams in journalism and broadcasting. Hannah Storm will be the speaker at the 3:00 p.m. Commencement ceremony.
Susan B. Hassmiller, PhD, RN, FAAN, is the senior adviser for nursing at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, where she has led nursing strategies since 1997 in an effort to create a higher quality of care in the United States for people, families, and communities. Drawn to the Foundation’s “organizational advocacy for the less fortunate and underserved,” she is helping to assure that RWJF's commitments in nursing have a broad and lasting national impact. In partnership with AARP, Hassmiller also directs the Foundation’s Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action, which seeks to ensure that everyone in America can live a healthier life, supported by a system in which nurses are essential partners in providing care and promoting health.
Darlene V. Shiley is the president of The Shiley Foundation, a member of the University of Portland’s Board of Regents, and a renowned patron of the arts, medical research, and education. A resident of San Diego, Shiley’s philanthropy has benefited countless institutions, including the Old Globe Theater, the University of California San Diego (Shiley Eye Institute and Shiley-Marcos Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center), the University of San Diego (Donald P. Shiley Center for Science and Technology and Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering), Scripps Clinic (Shiley Pavilion, Shiley Center for Orthopedic Research Education: SCORE, and Shiley Musculoskeletal Center), the Salk Institute, and Public Broadcasting Service’s Masterpiece Theatre. In 2007, with her late husband, Donald P. Shiley ’51, she made a significant benefaction in support of the renovation and expansion of the Donald P. Shiley Engineering Hall at the University of Portland and subsequently made a generous gift to endow the School of Engineering, now known as the Donald P. Shiley School of Engineering, in her husband’s memory.
Mark Edlen is a commercial real estate developer and co-founder of Gerding Edlen Development Company of Portland, one of the national leaders in green building and LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design) certified properties. He is recognized for his expertise and success in creating sustainable communities in mixed-use commercial, residential, educational and retail developments. Until he retired in 2017, Edlen directed the firm’s vision and growth with the belief that the path to preserving the environment leads directly to a new urban reality, where transformative buildings and quality assets foster communities.
More information about the University’s Commencement ceremonies can be found at http://www.up.edu/commencement
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